Objective To study the effects of norepinephrine (NE) on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in cardiac myocytes and receptor pathways involved in ROS production. Methods DCFHDA fluorescent probe was used for the assessment of NE induced intracellular ROS production in cultured cardiac myocytes of the neonatal rats. Myocytes were exposed to NE, NE + prazosin, NE + propranolol, and NE + prazosin + propranolol at different time and doses. The changes of fluorescence intensity in cells were measured by flow cytometry. Results NE increased myocyte ROS production in time and dose dependent manners. NE induced ROS production was partially inhibited by prazosin or propranolol, and completely inhibited by prazosin and propranolol together in myocytes. Conclusion NE can induce intracellular ROS production in cultured cardiac myocytes of the neonatal rats in time and dose dependent manners through the mediation of both ? and ? adrenoceptors.

The imaging findings of pelvic lipomatosis as confirmed by operation and pathology were examined in 1 case and two follow-up asymptomatic cases retrospectively analyzed.The imaging findings included a compressed and deformed bladder with a superior displacement.Its shape was like an inverted tear and pear in coronal view and a banana in sagittal view.Bilateral ureters were both compressed with a medial deviation.And bilateral ureters were dilated with hydronephrosis in 1 case.Rectum and sigmoid were both compressed and became narrowed.The clinical manifestations included frequent urination , urgent urination , urination pain, dysuria, constipation, nausea, vomit and fever in 1 case while another 2 cases stayed asymptomatic.

Recently, it had been demonstrated that some free radical scavengers, reduced glutathion ( GSH ) , Ascorbic acid(AA), the purified aponin Rg1andRb1 of Panax notoginseng, Sodium selenate

Objective: To explore the efficacy of esmolol on cardiac ischemia in patients with serious coronary lesions who are not candidates for coronary revascularizations. Methods: Fifty seven aged patients (34 male) with serious coronary artery disease not candidates for coronary revascularizations were included. All patients had classical angina involved in cardiac ischemia, and definitely ischemic ST-segment depressions in surface electrocardiogram, however which were not relieved by routine treatment including intravenous nitrate or even morphine. All patients received loading dose injection and continuously intravenous infusion of Esmolol, and the baseline characteristics before treatment and the effects at 4 hours after infusion of Esmolol were carefully recorded. Results: After infusion of Esmolol, the ischemia-related symptoms of 41 patients completely relieved, and their ST depressions recovered to the baseline accompanied with significant reduction in blood pressure and heart rate (P＜0.0001 all) within (66±23) min. Moreover, nine patients were observed that their ischemia-related symptoms were relieved and ST alteration recovered partially (P＜0.0001 both) at four h after continuous infusion of esmolol. Conclusion: Esmolol is effective to relieve the serious cardiac ischemia-related symptoms and ST-T alteration of ECG in patients with serious coronary lesions.

Objective To study the effects of mimic ischemic preconditioning (IP) on i and I-LCa of sinoatrial node cells and explore the protective effects of IP. Methods Cells were randomized to three groups: control, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), IP. After labeled with fura4, fluorescence intensity of i was studied with laser confocal microscopy and I-LCa was recorded by whole-cell patch clamp technology. Results IP significantly reduced the fluorescence intensity of i and enhanced the peak of I-LCa as compared with I/R, shifted the I-V curve to more negative value. Conclusion IP can reduce the overload of i caused by I/R and increase I-LCa weakened by I/R.

Objective To compare the effects of stimulated ischemic preconditioning (IP) and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) on the hyperpolarization-activated current (I_ f ) of sinoatrial node cells and explore the mechanisms of electrophysiological protection of IP. Methods The sinoatrial node cells cultured for 2 d were randomized to three groups: ① Control in which the cells were cultured at 37 ℃ in the mimic reperfusion solution, meanwhile the mixture of 95% O_ 2 and 5% N_ 2 was ventilated; ② I/R in which the cells were cultured in the mimic ischemic solution and simultaneously the mixture of 95% O_ 2 and 5% N_ 2 was ventilated for 3 h, then cultured in the mimic reperfusion solution and simultaneously the mixture of 95% O_ 2 and 5% N_ 2 was ventilated for 4 h; ③ IP in which the cells underwent ischemia for 10 min and reperfusion for 10 min, repeated once. Then the cells were treated as the same as the I/R group. After 4-hour reperfusion, I_ f was recorded by whole-cell patch clamp technology. Results I/R significantly enhanced the current density of I_ f , shifted the current activation curve to more positive value by changing the half-activation voltage from (-98.9?2.4) mV to (-85.2?2.5) mV (P

Objective To investigate the relationship between the level of serum uric acid(SUA) and carotid atherosclerosis in male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). Methods A collection of 579 male T2DM patients with or without carotid atherosclerosis were grouped based on quartiles of SUA. Age, SUA, smokers, duration, body mass index(BMI), blood pressure, total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), blood urea nitrogen(BUN), creatinine(Cr), and HbA1C were determined in all subjects. The plaques in carotid arteries and intima-media thickness(IMT) were measured with high-resolution ultrasound. Results BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, TG, and Cr showed a gradual increase, while HDL-C and HbA1C showed a gradual decrease according to the higher SUA quartiles in male T2DM(P＜0.05). Nevertheless, the detectable rates of smokers, duration, age, TC, LDL-C, and BUN had no relationships with the SUA quartiles(P＞0.05). The detectable rate of carotid atherosclerosis and the thickness of carotid plaque were positively associated with the levels of SUA in male patients with T2DM(P＜0.05). However, intima-media thickness of carotid arteries did not illustrate the correlation with the levels of SUA in male T2DM patients(P＞0.05). Age, HbA1C, and SUA were independent factors of carotid atherosclerosis in these patients by logistic regression(P＜0.05). Conclusion The levels of SUA seems to be associated with the occurrence and development of carotid atherosclerosis in male patients with T2DM.

BACKGROUND:Hereditary factor occupies a certain position in suicidal behavior of depression. The researches in the past are focused on the hereditary effect on bipolar depression suicide.How do hereditary patterns and effects work in suicidal behavior in unipolar depression?OBJECTIVE: To probe into hereditary patterns and effects on suicidal behavior in unipolar depression.DESIGN:Retrospective investigation.SETTING:A municipal psychiatric hygienic centerPARTICIPANTS:Unipolar depression group included 115 outpatients and inpatients diagnosed in Wuxi Psychiatric Hygienic Center from June 1st 1983 to May 31st 2002.The diagnosis tallied with Standards on Depression Onset in Categories and Diagnostic Standards on Psychiatric Disturbance in China of 3rd Edition and with Standards on Severe Depression Onset in Manual of Diagnosis and Statistics of Psychiatric Disturbance in America of 4th Edition.The attack frequency of all the cases ≥ 3 times or the cases had been relieved ≥8 years after a couple of attacks.METHODS:The patients who tallied with the standards on unipolar depression received the investigation in every family tree under the instruction of 2 physicians-in-charge and more than 2 physicians and filled up the self-made investigation form of psychiatric family tree,including mainly the data of social demography of patients and their first grade relatives,characters of disease onset,frequency of attack,history of treatment and suicide. After re-diagnosed by 2 physicians-incharge and more than 2 physicians and checked by one physician-incharge,the cases were collected in patient group. The interview was carried on for the patients with suicidal behavior among all of the survived patients (107 cases) and first grade relatives (14 cases).The interview (337 cases) and investigation with letter (380 cases) were carried on for the first grade relatives without suicidal behavior. The investigation forms of 13 dead cases (8 cases of patients, 5 cases of first-grade relatives) were provided and filled-up by one or two first grade relatives. Two researchers interviewed the cases in the control,inquired the first grade relatives and filled up the investigation form of family tree.Single factor analysis was used for all the data and Falconer pattern of polygenetic threshold-value theory was used to estimate hereditary rate and standard error in suicidal behavior.Separation analysis in medical hereditary mathematic method and polygenetic threshold-value theory were applied to discuss the hereditary patterns.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Hereditary effects and patterns of suicidal behavior in unipolar depressed patients.RESULTS:Suicidal risk of unipolar depressed patients(51.30%,59/115)was higher than their first grade relatives (2.58%,19/736) (x2=283.16,P ＜ 0.01).Suicidal risk of the first grade relatives (2.58%,19/736) of unipolar depressed patients was higher than the control (0.12%,3/2469)(x2=50.36,P ＜ 0.01).Suicidal risk of the first grade relatives of the patients with suicidal behavior (3.8%,14/372) was higher than that of the first grade relatives of the patients without suicidal behavior (1.4%,5/363)(x2=4.14,P＜ 0.05).The weighted average hereditary rate and standard error was (70.16±0.79)% for suicidal behavior in unipolar depression.The predictive morbidity of suicidal behavior in the first grade relatives was 3.1% and the real morbidity was 2.6%,which did not indicate significant difference (u =0.766, P ＞ 0.05).CONCLUSION:Suicidal behavior of unipolar depression presents obvious hereditary effects and its hereditary patterns tally with polygenetic inheritance.

Artemisia lactiflora is an important medicinal plant in China. The antitumor and antioxidant activities of the extracts of 54 endophytic fungi from the plant were screened via MTT assay and DPPH scavenging radical assay, respectively. The bioactive strains were identified based on similarity of 5.8S gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The results showed that extracts from ten (18.5%) isolates exhibited antitumor activity, and which from two (3.7%) isolates exhibited antioxidant activity. The Alternaria sp. GYBH47 strain was simultaneously having antagonistic activity against HL-60 leukemia, MCF-7 breast and COLO205 colon cell lines, and Phomopsis sp. GYBH42 strain having cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. The results indicated that endophytic fungi from Artemisia lactiflora are potential resources to find valuable bioactive components.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Artemisia ; microbiology ; Biphenyl Compounds ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Endophytes ; chemistry ; classification ; physiology ; Free Radical Scavengers ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Fungi ; classification ; physiology ; Humans ; Picrates ; metabolism

Objective To provide reference for establishing diagnosis and differential diagnosis methods of rare yeast-like fungal bloodstream infection for clinical microbiology laboratory.Methods Trichosporon asahii (T.asa-hii)and Geotrichum capitatum (G.capitatum)bloodstream infection was diagnosed and differentially diagnosed through clinical data analysis,morphological examination,biochemical reactions,and molecular biology technology. Results Two types of yeast-like fungal bloodstream infections in case 1 and case 2 both occurred in leukemia agranulocytosis phase after chemotherapy,such infections were serious and highly similar.The cultivated colonies on blood agar plates of case 1 and case 2 were performed gram stain and microscopic examination.Hyphae,arthro-spores and microconidia were visible in the former,thickness of hyphae branches and length of arthrospores were different,most presented rectangular and barrel shape;the latter can be seen hyphae with transparent septum bro-ken up into arthrospores,presented rectangular shape,did not produce blastoconidia.Identification with API 20C AUX showed that they were T.asahii and G.capitatum.The PCR product sequences were compared with NCBI, suggesting that T.asahii and G.capitatum were at sexual stage.Conclusion Comprehensive application of a varie-ty of technical methods is helpful for improving the diagnosis accuracy of bloodstream infection with yeast-like fungi, identifying Trichosporon and Geotrichum to the species level may help physicians to understand such rare fungal in-fection,choose antifungal agents rationally,and improve clinical prognosis.